4-Year-Old Mauled By Dog In Plainville

November 23, 2012|By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

PLAINVILLE — Police said they plan to aggressively enforce dog licensing and vaccination laws in the aftermath of a pit bull terrier attack on a 4-year-old girl.

The enforcement focus will be on all breeds of dogs, Plainville police Capt. Brian Mullins said, since dogs that attack people as well as other dogs are typically not licensed or properly vaccinated.

The incident that gave rise to the enforcement effort was a Nov. 15 attack on a 4-year-old girl at 23 Rosemont Drive, Mullins said. A woman and her 4-year-old daughter were visiting the home of Ryan McCarthy, 35, and his grandmother when the attack occurred. McCarthy was not home, but his grandmother was outside attempted to move the dog inside. When the dog spotted the 4-year-old it broke away from the grandmother, knocking her down, and attacked the girl.

The dog grabbed the girl's head, shook her violently and inflicted traumatic injuries to her face, Mullins said. Neighbors were able to chase off the dog, but not until after the child was badly hurt, he said.

The child was taken by ambulance to Connecticut Children's Medical Center for treatment. She's since been released but will require follow up treatment, Mullins said.

The dog ran off after the attack but was caught later in the day. It was euthanized, Mullins said.

McCarthy was cited for having an unvaccinated dog, an unlicensed dog, a nuisance dog and a roaming dog.

Police said they're focus on enforcing dog licensing and vaccination requirements to protect the public.